he represented hawaii in washington for five decades since hawaii became a state in 1959. the 88-year-old senator was a war hero. he lost his arm. president obama attended the funeral. the president said he was his political inspiration. those are your headlines. i'm don lemon. keeping you informed, cnn the most trusted name in news. >>> it was one of the most important diplomatic missions in history. also one of the most clandestine and risky. four decades ago, henry kissinger, then president nixon's national security advise secretly flew to china, beginning a string of meetings that would eventually open that isolated eastern nation to the western world. that opening checked soviet expansionism and in a sense was the beginning of the end of the cold war. >> this was the week that changed the world. >> it was also the beginning of china's entry into the world economy, which has resulted in that country becoming the world's second largest economy. >> red china's -- >> but back then, the idea of a reproachment with china would have been rejected as pure fantasy. china was a